.png)
Incident: October 17th, 2019 Prince Georges County, MD
24 year old Monte Ward-Blake was left partially paralyzed after a violent altercation with police over cannabis possession
TIMELINE
OCTOBER 17TH, 2019
Date of Incident
Ward-Blake was stopped by police for an expired tag. The officer who conducted the stop reported smelling marijuana emanating from the vehicle, which also carried a 6-year-old girl.
Reports allege that Ward-Blake began shouting and reached for his center console when the officer removed him from the vehicle and hand-cuffed him without incident just before calling for back-up .
What happened after that occurred outside dash cam view but reports allege that Monte attempted to flee when the officer pulled him to the ground, where he hit his neck on the road.
Paramedics were called to the scene and Ward-Blake was taken to the hospital to undergo treatment.
Police filed charges for assault, resisting arrest and possession of more than 10 grams of marijuana. The Washington Post reports that warrants have not been served because of Ward-Blake's hospitalization.
OCTOBER 18TH, 2019
Internal investigation is opened, officer placed on administrative leave
Relatives report Ward-Blake is being treated in a Baltimore hospital after he undergoing surgery for injuries he sustained during his arrest
Police spokesperson Jennifer Donelan commented on the incident saying "The suspect then, is now trying to get away, while trying to hit the officer with his elbow and the forward motion -- the officer now does a take-down procedure. At that point the suspect, in his effort to escape, hits his neck on the roadway."
Police Chief Hank Stawinski said at a press conference, "We are deeply concerned because it doesn't matter how someone comes into our custody, this is not an acceptable outcome." speaking of the take-down incident.
He denied the incident was malicious or intended to hurt Ward-Blake. "I have no information this is anything other than a horrible, horrible accident."
"What the officer did was not outside of some of the tactics that we use, there isn't a specific tactic that we train under these circumstances, So part of what we have is a reaction to this individual's actions and the officer deemed it appropriate to take the individual to the ground."
OCTOBER 21ST, 2019
Demonstration & GoFundMe announced
The family along with the help of Black Lives Matter announced a peaceful demonstration. The event will be held Saturday, October 26th 2019 at 7600 Barlowe Rd in Landover MD
A GoFundMe was started to help the family with medical expenses.
OCTOBER 23RD, 2019
Item Subtitle
Reports emerge that the family has hired William H. “Billy” Murphy Jr, the same attorney who represented the relatives of Freddie Gray, the Baltimore man who died in April 2015 after being injured while in police custody.
Murphy reports that Ward-Blake has broken vertebrae in his neck and spine and was left paralyzed from the waist down and unable to move his arms. Doctors said his prognosis was determined to be “uncertain.”
tion of the services, products, team members or any other items you want to highlight on your site. Have a lot to say? Easily turn any item into a full page by clicking ‘Create a page from this item’ in the edit panel.
OCTOBER 26TH, 2019
Community rally’s to demand #JusticeForMonte
Family members teamed up with Black Lives Matter to hold a demonstration outside PGPD.
MDMJ, a Maryland cannabis justice group was also on hand to support the community and captured this video. The crowd can be heard chanting powerful messages of solidarity.
“It is our duty to fight for our freedom! It is our Duty to Win!” reminding the community that “We must love each other and support each other! We have nothing to lose but our chains!”
OCTOBER 29TH, 2019
Local Church announces town hall
Reid Temple AME Church in Glenn Dale, Maryland plans to hold a town hall on police and community relations event on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.
"What we're aiming to do is bring the community together with the police department," said Dr. Rashawn Ray, director of the Public Policy Institute at Reid Temple AME Church.
THis announcement comes after the news of a petition circulating that sees to have Prince George's County Police Chief Hank Stawinksi fired.